The Rat
by Dreamerbaybee55
Summary: AU Kagome is Japan's top killer assassin. When the JPA decides to exploit and put Kagome's murder cases as top priority, they send in their best undercover agent...Inuyasha. Joining the killer gang, Kagome eventually trusts the new rookie...
1. Fire in Ice

A/N – Edited from my awesome beta: DarkSacredJewelXoX

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**The Rat**

**Chapter One – Fire in Ice**

The room was on fire. Under the dark moon and over the small town with little houses, there was a girl…no, not a girl or a woman, but an enticing and seductive snake which hovers over a glistening dark red pool. The area was quiet, and filled with darkness, like a ghost town, except there were not ghosts…just the living dead. And that's why she was here…she was here to finish off the last of the living.

'_In the town of Sasaguri, silence the babies cry and send back a token of its death.'_

Before the fire took over, she quickly bent down and pulled out the army knife hidden under her skirt. The metal's cool surface left the warmth of her legs as she pulled it free from its leather clasp. Swiftly she lifted the body from its hair, and swung the knife across to cut the strands of its hair. Pocketing the patch of hair, she ran out from the baby's room and into the dark streets.

Once she was outside in the dark, a gust of wind blew by and her long black tresses flew across to cast her expression in the shadow. Her heels clicked loudly each time they hit the pavement, because there was no need to hide its noise, for there wasn't any living in site. The wind blew harder as she felt her black trench coat catch the wind and flew behind like a cape. The feeling of the icy chill did not sway her composure. However cold she may be…she had the fire inside. Not the cold of the wind, but the cold of another dead body in her conscious.

This was her job though…this was her life.

As the wind settled, so did her hair and when she looked up, a man in black stood before her. He had the tall, dark and handsome feature that any woman would drool over, but this chemical reaction did not affect her. She knew he was just as sly as she was, and the appearance was a deception from the true self.

The smell of smoke lingered in the air, but it wasn't coming from the fire house behind, it was coming from the shortened cigarette held between the tips of the man's appendages. How she hated that smell. To be able to do a job as hers, it would make sense as to why life is so precious for a person. So why would _anyone_ kill themselves slowly every time their lips kissed a cigarette?

With a motion of a hand, she moved forward…so close that she felt the heat of his body. She silently prayed that his talk would be quick, so she could get away from the polluted air and get on with her next task.

"Do you have it?" he started. His voice was cool, even with the blazing fire destroying life just ten feet away.

She gave an irritated sigh and retrieved the hair from her pocket. He fisted the hair once she threw it into the palm of his hand.

Re-opening his hand, he inspected his agent's work. Giving a disappointed sigh he spoke, "You know…I do expect better than this, Kagome."

"Well, Naraku, if you want me to bring back a body part instead, I'm happy to run back into that burning building to get it for you. But then again, you'd be sacrificing your best agent." she replied sarcastically.

Naraku gave a soft laugh, and muttered the words "smart mouth" under his breath. "You realize that because of this, you won't get that bonus reward my client offered."

"Listen Naraku…I'm smart, I'm good at what I do, and I know when I'm being tricked. If that woman wanted her own baby with that bastard to die, I'm sure she'd want it gone, but I highly doubt she would want to see a part of her mailed to her house. You just wanted a part of that body to add to your sick collection."

Naraku snickered, "Very smart Kagome, you've figured me out." He neared closer to Kagome's lips, and whispered, "But that's why you're my best agent, you've got the skills, and you've got the brains that bitch of a mother gave you." The closeness and smoked breath did not wither Kagome's composure, as she stood still and continued to listen. Naraku grabbed her arms and dug his nails deeper into the fabric of her coat, his lips lightly grazed over hers. "You have the whole package for this job, Kagome, but if you dare act smart with me again, or call my human collection twisted…you just might find a part of you hanging on my wall. Besides…my hobby isn't so sick if people we're to look at what you would do for a couple thousand bills." He pushed her away, and stepped back.

Kagome took a deep breath, and tried to refill her lungs with clean air. Then she simply held out her hand, waiting to receive what she came out for.

With a smile, Naraku retrieved a brick of thousand dollar bills from the pocket of his cloak. He threw the money in the air, and Kagome caught it with out hesitation.

Naraku turned around and opened the driver side's door, and was about to drive away until Kagome spoke up.

"Just remember this Naraku. I do it for your clients…and the money. Whatever you want on the side of the job isn't part of my contract."

And he left.

Kagome pocketed the cash into her coat, and wiped off an invisible dust on her sleeve. Inspecting herself, she noticed a drop of blood on her boot. It reminded her of when she kicked the babe to silence, when she saw the intense amount of blood seep from the babe's mouth and unto the carpet.

Without looking back, Kagome walked down the dark streets of Sasaguri…never to return.

With the baby's silent cry, all that was audible was the sound of dying wood.


	2. Under Covers

A/N – Edited from my awesome beta: DarkSacredJewelXoX

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**The Rat**

**Chapter Two – Under Covers**

The smell of burnt ash filled his lungs. With a side order of nicotine, he tried to breathe. Taking another swig of beer he saw that it was nearly half empty, or half full…depending on how you view things.

He saw his chances and decided to play the cards in his favour. This time though, he was playing everything. No more fun and games…he was all in. And the next card his opponent would play could cost him everything…

"Alright, full house!" Beno yelled aloud, taking in all his winning chips.

Disappointed sighs suddenly filled the air, "Damn, I was close too…"

"Don't worry too much about it bro, but you did pull a risky move there. Like to take your chances eh Tamaki?"

His long silver hair covered his downcast face, "Yeah, well no risk no game, Shin."

A man with a deep, husk voice spoke up. "Alright Beno, that's enough games for today. It's time to get down to business." When he said that, the light above seemed to suddenly swing back and forth as Beno and Shin began to clear the cards.

Tamaki began to eye the 6mm pistol Saiko kept nudging on his waist. Getting nervous, his hand started reaching for his own unconsciously, his hand getting closer and closer behind his leather jacket…

"Tamaki."

He suddenly stopped all movement when Saiko's dark voice spoke up.

"What is it Saiko?"

"The shipment should have come in today."

"Yes." Tamaki began to check the time on his watch, secretly praying that they'll be here soon.

"So, where is it?"

"There has been a slight delay in the delivery, but don't worry too much about it. _Trust me_, I've got it all handled." Suddenly it seemed like time was running slower on Tamaki.

Beno spoke up loudly, "Damn clock is running slow again."

"Shut up Beno!" Shin yelled. "Saiko is talking."

"Anyways, so how do you want to approach this, Tamaki?"

Before answering, Tamaki was checking his surroundings, looking at each member in the eye until he saw what he was looking for. "There's no harm in giving them the cash now. We've been in business together for three years now, and I know you trust my judgement. I know these guys won't flop on us."

Saiko grunted, "I know that Tamaki, if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have these Mercedes we keep driving around. But from what I've learned from this kind of business…you _never_ trust anybody."

Taiko sweat dropped at that comment. If he can't make this deal today…

"But then again, we've been in business with them for many years…"

Saiko then stood up, and went to the back of the room. He bent down and took out a large briefcase hidden beneath the desk, and brought it to the poker table. Slamming the briefcase down, he opened it up to reveal hundred thousand yen dollars in counterfeit and just as quickly, Saiko closed it.

Once Tamaki set his eyes on those dollars, he sighed in relief and took the briefcase.

"Make sure we get that package back soon."

Saiko turned around and went back to taking out a cigarette for himself. As Tamaki was walking out to head for the exit, he spoke up to Shino, "Don't forget we got the hundred thousand bananas."

Saiko and Beno heard this, "What the…"

"Freeze, JPA!"

"Fuck!" Saiko pulled behind his back and brought out the pistol and began shooting wildly at five policemen along with Beno.

There was a roar of bullets being shot back and forth. Tamaki and Shin both ran out of the way from the line of fire.

"Shit!" Shin roared. "I left my gun on the table."

"Don't worry, I got this." He suddenly threw the briefcase at Shin and ran forward with his gun in hand.

The shooting became even wilder than before and none of the JPA could pin down the two men. When Beno saw Tamaki run forth, he suddenly had a burst of anger and began screaming while shooting solely on his former ally.

Tamaki got scraped by the bullet shot by Beno, but managed to get a shot at him damaging his shooting arm. Quickly, more of the JPA guys rushed in to cuff Beno, but when Saiko escaped, Tamaki ran after him alone.

"Tamaki wait!" Shin called.

He shouted back but ceased to stop, "I can handle this!"

Running outside into the wet and dark alley, Saiko was sure that he managed to escape to buy himself some time. However, it wasn't enough because he heard footsteps coming from behind followed by a click of a hammer.

"Hold it right there."

Saiko recognized the voice and suddenly raised his hands up in defence.

"Put the gun down and slowly turn around," Tamaki commanded while still strongly holding up his weapon.

Saiko did as he was told, but when he turned around he had such an evil look that could make the devil go insane.

"Why did you do it?" He yelled angrily. "Why did you turn on us…on _me_?! I brought you into my gang because you said you needed support, and suddenly the cops get involved! What did they do to you exactly? Bribe you with government money? Or did you just suddenly think that the business was getting to difficult for you and thought about being a hero instead?"

"I never turned on you," Tamaki spoke calmly.

"What?!" Saiko yelled in outrage. "Then what do you call all this?!"

"Since the beginning, it was my job to exploit your business and throw you in jail."

At those words, Saiko became crazy with disbelief, "T-t-three years…three years for this! N-no way!" he yelled out and started running away as fast as he could.

Without hesitation, Tamaki aimed and shot at Saiko's leg.

And with a final cry, he was sent away.

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"Good work today, Tamaki."

"Can we quit playing undercover cop now? I'm so sick of that name now Shino."

"Hey, its Kaoru now Inuyasha, I never really liked the name Shino anyways."

"Yea, every job we've always gotten crap names." Inuyasha complained as he threw on his uniform. "Who comes up with these anyways?"

"People who can't think of good enough names for their own dogs, but besides that, I can't believe this job took us three years to finally throw them out. I'm still trying to get used to the clean air."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Well let's just enjoy the vacation while it lasts. We'll never know how long the next job will be."

"I agree."

The two partners closed their lockers and with their freshly washed uniforms, they walked back into the halls of the Japan Police Association with their real names hanging on a tag.


	3. Her Life

A/N - Well I'm back! And I will definitely finish this story now. I took a two-year break because I was concentrating on getting into University, but now I have more writing experience and hopefully the story will be even better!

Just a warning, I don't live in Japan, nor do I know any streets, places or events there, so I'm just going to make it all up! I'm sure that won't matter anyways because this is fanfic!

Edited from my awesome beta: DarkSacredJewelXoX

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**The Rat**

**Chapter Three – Her Life**

Driving back home in her black BMW was routine after another kill. Her day was always eat, workout, destroy another life, drink, sleep. There was little room in a killer's life for social gatherings. Once in a while she gets to go relieve some stress when she hung out with "her" kind of people. However, with the line of work she and her friends were in…it was a rare occasion.

Speeding down the streets of Tokyo, she quickly made it to her condo. After parking her car in the basement, she walked through the front lobby. It was a grand lobby, with a fountain in the middle of the floor and sitting area to the right. She gave a quick wave to the security guard sitting at the front desk on her left.

"Another nice night out with your boyfriend eh Kagome?" The security guard asked.

Kagome really hated to socialize with these ignorant people, but it was always about staying low and out of suspicions. And with that said, she needed to fake a social life.

"Yeah! We just had a nice dinner at Maki's. Well I'll see you in the morning Kei."

"Okay, see you later Kagome!" He yelled back.

When Kagome turned away from him, her fake plastered smile quickly disappeared. She quickly walked towards the golden elevators in front of the large fountain so she could get away from all the 'happy-go-lucky' people. It was so difficult to play the life as 'Kagome Higurashi defense attorney who manages to date nice rich boys.' It was such a far cry from the life she actually has.

Her life was what the devil would have.

'_27...28…29…PH'_ She thought as the elevator climbed to the top level. With a loud _ding_, the elevator doors opened to a hallway that lead to the left and right. There were only two penthouses here, each one taking one end of the hall. She did have a retired couple as a neighbor before she 'convinced' them to move out. Now she used the penthouse in the right hall for her secret alter life, while her penthouse on the left was her cover up space in case regular civilians wanted to come over. She really didn't need all this extra space, but Naraku wanted to make sure her cover up was good. As long as he covered the cost, she didn't mind the quiet hall.

It was weird each time she had to step out of the elevator. Most people who live in apartment buildings would quickly get out of the elevator and walk in the direction of their home while checking the mail like a regular routine. However, for Kagome Higurashi, she always had to hesitate.

It was like she was choosing her life.

Good versus evil.

Right versus wrong.

To live or to kill.

At the end of the day she always picked the right hall…the one to her secret life. She laughed quietly to herself. _'If I always go to the right, why do I always hesitate deciding my direction?'_

She opened the door to her large condo. She was welcomed to a clean apartment with high ceiling and open space with beige colored walls. There was a large kitchen immediately to her left lavished with black marble countertops, and to her right was a powder room and coat closet. A couple of steps down were a living area in the middle and the left a long dining table. On the right were a fireplace and entertainment space with a large flat screen T.V. and workout equipment. Past the workout space was a hallway that lead to her bedroom, bathroom and of course, her guns room. Her other penthouse was identical except that the one she was currently in is covered with knives, guns and other weapons hidden around at every nook and corner.

After putting her coat away and taking off her high leather boots, she felt a chill from the warmth as her bare arms and legs were exposed to the rarely used place. Kagome had to remember to turn up the heat in here.

Walking down the steps she headed towards the guns room to undress. When she unlocked the door with the security code she was welcomed with the familiar smell of iron and gunpowder. Each wall was covered with shelves of weapons of all types. She walked over to her favorite shelf…the knives and daggers.

Her hands searched under her short skirt for the familiar leather case that held her knife. Undoing the strap that held her knife, she pulled it from under and threw the case with the knife on the shelf. She'll clean it tomorrow.

Unconsciously her fingers ran across the sharp blades of her other knives. From the small daggers to her specially curved knife that she got from Siberia, her lips began to curl in pleasure. Finally her eyes fell on the old katana that was held up against the wall with two pegs. Her father's sword.

Kagome never knew why her father had such a sword, but maybe that was why she preferred to kill with a blade than a bullet. _'No'_ she thought. She knew better. Kagome knew that she loved it when she got to feel the pressure of her knife plunging into the flesh of her victim and the deep crimson liquid dripping down the blade. You just couldn't get that feeling from far away at a safe distance clicking a trigger.

After locking up the room, she walked across the hall into her bedroom. The walls were covered with nothing but brown color. Her queen-sized bed sat in the middle against the wall of the room across a vanity. She walked to the left corner of the room to enter the master bathroom.

She looked herself in the mirror and was displeased with how she looked. Her long hair was a mess from the smoke when she burned down the house, and there were traces of blood on her neck. She enjoyed killing, but not the mess.

Kagome began undressing and threw the remaining garments into a laundry hamper. She stepped into the shower and let the hot water burn at her skin, hopping it will wash away her sins.

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**I know. I'm sorry there isn't much dialogue. But I'm hopping it will set you in the mood of her dark life. **

**Please Review! **


	4. New Mission

Thanks for the reviews everyone =) I'm glad everyone's enjoying the dark mood I've set for this story.

Also, thanks to hear from my ol' fanfic friends, sorry I haven't been back in a while…but glad to hear you're all doing well!

I know someone's requested for some inu/kag fluff soon, but don't worry it'll be coming soon! I still need to lead up to that moment. It will most likely be in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

Edited by my beta-reader: DarkSacredJewelXoX

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**The Rat**

**Chapter Four – New mission**

It was peaceful today. The sun was shining, the sky is clear with not a cloud in the sky. But what Inuyasha loved the most about this day, was that there were no guns, angry bosses, life-threatening circumstances and no god-forsaken smoke.

Yes, today was indeed _his_ day.

"Inuyasha, you have another mission."

And of course, it was short lived.

"You idiot Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled. "You couldn't give me at least a two week break?! I just got off a fucking three year mission!"

Sesshomaru, cool and collected as usual, did not falter from Inuyasha's cursed words as he gently closed the door to Inuyasha's personal office. Inside was a stunning mahogany desk which Inuyasha used to prop his feet up on. Behind Inuyasha's large leather chair was a bookshelf that went to the ceiling. The rest of his office was covered with furniture for guests. Of course, this office was rarely used since Inuyasha always left for missions. Sesshomaru took a mental note to take this office for himself when Inuyasha left again.

Without looking up from his files, Sesshomaru spoke calmly. "Calm down Inuyasha. This was a last minute decision from the bureau; they want you on this mission as quickly as possible. It's very tricky work and they only want the best in the agency."

Inuyasha could only roll his eyes and sigh in exasperation. "Oh come on! For fuck's sake. You know, all this double agent crap is going to screw with my head. Did you know Kaoru got mental problems after the last mission we went on? One mission after another playing as another person really messes a guy up."

"It's their call Inuyasha. Stop whining. I'm only just in charge of the JPA, which says a lot, but once the guys up top get involved you know its serious shit they're dealing with. You're going, no excuses." With that said, Sesshomaru dropped the case file on the desk, forcing Inuyasha to get his feet off the smooth mahogany to take a look at its contents.

Inuyasha hated to see his older half-brother get the better of him, but Sesshomaru was his boss. He hated to admit that he worked under him, but this was where he belonged. Being in the agency to bring down all the illegal forces that brought despair to the world was his only calling. It's the only place where he felt like he can move on from his past…

"So, what do you think?" Sesshomaru asked as he sat on the leather seat across from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted as he scanned across the files he opened. His eyes widened at the picture he saw.

"Who's Kagome Higurashi? She is one hottie," he exclaimed as he examined this raven-haired beauty in a green uniform. Her bright smile radiated of purity as the wind blew her hair across her face.

"She is also a leading suspect on a series of murder cases we believe are linked to Naraku and his underground business," Sesshomaru said matter-of-factly.

"What the fuck?! You're telling me, the agency believes that this innocent looking girl is a killer?!" Inuyasha shouted as he threw the file on his desk.

"Yes. Looks can be deceiving, Inuyasha. Which is probably why she's gotten away with it for so many years. This girl has been able to hide her true self for so long…she is no ordinary girl. At the age of twenty-one, she's like a professional," Sesshomaru smirked. "Almost like you…well in an evil kind of way."

"Fuck you Sesshomaru! And I'm twenty-two you moron. Don't compare me to a wench like her!" Inuyasha yelled as he crossed his arms across his chest. "So tell me how deep this shit is going to get, all these files here won't tell me how life-threatening this is going to be."

"It's pretty deep shit."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while letting out a heavy sigh. "So what am I supposed to do exactly? And how long will it take?"

"Well this isn't just a spy mission. We already know that she's a killer…that much is obvious. However, you're not just supposed to catch her in the act…we need you to get close to her. We need to know exactly what her involvement with Naraku is. You need to get close to Kagome Higurashi, so that the JPA can get close to taking Naraku and his business down. We need you in deep undercover."

"Sesshomaru, you're ignoring my second question…how the fuck long will it take?!"

"A couple of years," he smirked. Oh how he loved seeing his brother in torture.

Inuyasha smacked his forehead at this answer, then he looked at the picture in the file. _'This really sucks. But then again, if no one else can do this…I'm the only one. And from the sound of it, this is a pretty heavy case.'_ Inuyasha remembered why he dedicated his life to this agency, and decided its time to start acting professionally and end his whines and complaints.

"Alright Sesshomaru. I'll do it."

Sesshomaru smirked. "You didn't really have a choice in the matter."

"Just shut up and tell me what else I need to know," Inuyasha said as he rolled his eyes again. Okay, act professional with the case, but it didn't mean he had to be nice to his brother.

"You'll have one week to be debriefed of your new identity. That will be the foundation for why you decided to join her entourage. Next week you will show up at an impound vehicle and garage site called 'The Wolf's Den.' This is the tricky part, you have to show up seemingly knowing about what they actually _do_ at night without getting yourself killed, while at the same time getting accepted into their group. We're still not sure how organized this group is, so you'll need to work your way in. Once you feel they've trusted you enough, you may start communicating with us. Miroku will be your contact, I'm sure you both are close enough to figure something out without having to use phones. Also, I'm placing Sango at a coffee shop around the corner so that she can keep an eye on you without raising suspicion. Is that clear enough for you?"

"Pretty much. Just so you know, I'm keeping my real name this time. I'm so sick of all those stupid names those geeky information intellect guys keep giving me. All just because I made fun of their greasy hair," Inuyasha said as he made a face.

"Do what you want, Inuyasha. You're background will be deep in cover enough that it won't matter really. Just change your last name so they won't think about linking it to me," Sesshomaru said in disgust as he opened the door that lead to the busy officers outside of Inuyasha's quiet office.

"One question though," Inuyasha called out before Sesshomaru could leave.

"What is it?" Sesshomaru sighed.

"If Kagome and her group asks me to kill someone…what should I do?" Inuyasha asked deep in thought as he continued to stare at her picture.

There was a long silent pause as Sesshomaru remembered what his boss told him Inuyasha must do in order for the mission to be successful.

"Don't look hesitant to kill."

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**Please review!**


	5. Into the Den

A/N - Sorry it took a while to update, it has been a pretty hellish week with school. PLUS the stupid h1n1 virus is spreading around =S

Anyways I'm sure you're all anticipating the meet-up of Inuyasha and Kagome!

Enjoy!

Edited by my beta-reader: DarkSacredJewelXoX

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**The Rat**

**Chapter Five – Into the Den**

Metal scratched against metal as the junkyard dozers easily folded cars into mere scraps. The irritating noise was just loud enough to hide the sounds of a screaming man within the impound vehicle's dark depths from the outside world.

"AAAGHHHHH, mother fucker!" A well-toned man screamed in agony as he gently touched the edge of a steak knife that managed to find its way into his leg. His black hair fell messily from his high ponytail, as he began to sweat from the pain. "Fucking bitch, Kagome!"

Kouga's foul words were easily ignored as Ginta and Hikaku roared in laughter from the earlier incident. Kagome easily tuned out the boys as she continued to eat her breakfast without a hint of sympathy for the boy with a knife in his leg.

Hikaku called out, "Kagome nice shot!"

Kagome continued eating without a hint of glee to her praises from her comrades.

"Fuck you Hikaku! The bitch fucking threw a knife at me, what kind of person does that to one of their only friends?!"

"You had it coming Kouga! You know better than to grab a feel at Kagome. Didn't you learn from the last time?" Ginta yelled.

"So? I always try to make a move on her. She should get used to it already!" Kouga yelled back as he started to drag the razor edge knife out of his skin. It wasn't that deep but it still hurt like fuck. He yelled again in pain as he fully pulled out the knife, and began to limp towards the first aid kit on the other side of the room.

Kagome quickly finished her meal and stood up to walk towards Kouga.

Hikaku snickered, as he knew what was about to come next. Ginta just slapped himself in the head at the stupidity of his friend…of course he'd never learn.

As Kouga struggled walking towards the kit that would help close his wounds, he was suddenly pushed down to the floor on his back from a sharp heel.

Kagome's foot held strong on top of the man's chiseled chest, her annoyance of the man starting to frustrate her. She bent low enough to get her point across, "Don't touch me again, or next time I might actually 'miss' my next throw and accidentally skewer that large forehead of yours."

Kouga just lay motionless under the angry girl's stare. With the way she stood over him, he could see her silk black panties that hugged her luscious bottom...it almost made him harden, but he had to control himself. As sexy it was to be in the position they were in right now, he realized that Kagome was a lot more angrier than usual today. It was time to back off…for real.

When Kagome saw the fear in his blue eyes, she pushed all her weight into the heel that dug into his chest before fully lifting her foot off him.

Kouga sighed in relief, but suddenly felt the stinging pain from the pressure of her sharp heel before getting up to find that damn first aid kit.

Kagome walked back towards her position behind a small desk. A litter of paperwork for all the impound vehicles lay messily across the desk. A little radio in the corner quietly played tunes for the morning rush of people frantically driving in their cars to get to work on time. Kagome sat on the chair behind the desk and casually lifted both feet to rest on the desk, allowing for more paperwork to fly messily across the desk to the floor.

All the paperwork, of course, we're just props for their cover up. No tow truck actually came here to bring in abandoned or illegally parked cars. It was all under Naraku's instruction for this set up.

The Wolf's Den was an old impound vehicle garage site. Outside their small building, hundreds of abandoned cars sat lifeless row by row. Around the back of all these cars, a small garage held broken car parts.

The inside of their building looked no better. There was a washroom, a lounge area with some old couches, a kitchen, and a storeroom that had a secret door to a weapons room.

Yeah…this was a shitty hide out.

As shitty as this place was, it was still good enough for Kagome and the rest of her group to be as loud as they want to practice their skills in fighting and simply hang out with one another without having to put up a mask to the outside world. It was a place where they could be themselves…tortured and messed up souls who find pleasure in killing.

As Kagome relaxed into her position behind her desk, Ginta spoke up. "So Kagome, what are we doing today?"

Kagome closed her eyes to recall what Naraku had instructed her. "Hm. Well Naraku didn't give us any kill orders yet. He would have text either one of us already. We could just spar for a bit, we haven't done that in a while. Oh yeah I almost forgot, Naraku wants us to find another member."

"What?!" Hikaku yelled out. "We don't need another guy to help us. We're a tough enough group already! Besides how are _we_ supposed to find someone that's willing to kill whomever Naraku wants? Isn't it his job to scout for someone? He found all four of us didn't he?"

"Calm down Hikaku. Since when have you been such a whinny bastard? Remember we don't question Naraku's orders. We just follow them."

Finally Kouga spoke up after he managed to bandage up his wounds. "Even if they're Naraku's orders…how the fuck are we supposed to find someone who is skilled in _killing_ people? It's not like we can ask for fucking resumés."

"I don't care how difficult it may be, but we have to get it done." Kagome commanded. "If you suspect _anyone_ who might be useful, you let me know."

All three men nodded in response. They had no choice. Naraku _always_ got what he wanted and with Kagome here to make sure all plans follow through, they're tasks always came out successful. They were the Tokyo division team, and they were the best.

Suddenly someone with a strong husky voice spoke up from the entrance. "I might be of help."

Kagome and the others turned to the direction where the voice was coming from. Her eyes widened briefly at the image before her. A handsome man with long silver hair stood tall by the door. His chiseled chest could easily be seen from the tightly fitted red shirt he wore. His loose jeans managed to hug his narrow torso in all the right ways. What surprised Kagome the most, was that she had no idea he was standing there for some time. He managed to sneak past her keen senses. Kagome quickly masked the brief shock she had as she realized this man was a bit suspicious.

She calmly walked towards him, sneakily making sure that the knife under her skirt was still there.

"And who the fuck are you?!" Kouga shouted as he stood in a stance prepared to fight if the stranger started to do anything suspicious.

Inuyasha gave a cocky smirk to the angry 'wolf' boy. "My name is Inuyasha Taka. I've heard from some boys in the _Underground_ that this was the place for me. Of course, I didn't really get along with those guys and with the way you're looking at me 'wolf,'" Inuyasha said as he spat towards Kouga. "I'm starting to think that they sent me to my death."

Kagome continued to walk closer to the silver haired man while Kouga and him had a 'mouth-off.' Hikaku and Ginta just watched the exchange from the sidelines, they both knew that Kagome was going to handle the situation anyways, no point in getting involved.

"Wolf?! Don't you dare talk to me like that you fucking dog!"

"Ha, dog that's rich. Don't tell you me you can't _smell_ yourself? You stink of a wild animal, we're in the twenty first century, use a shower!"

"Fuck you, you bastard! You think you can walk in here and get out alive?!"

"I can fucking kick your…" Suddenly Inuyasha stopped mid-sentence as he sensed something flying right towards his head. He swiftly dodged his head to one side as he saw a very lean knife fly past him to hit the wall behind him. Quickly thanking the heavens, that he had been trained his whole life at self-defense, he turned to the source of where the knife came from. After arguing with the wolf for so long, he finally noticed the woman before him. The reason why he was here, the reason why he had to live a different life for years to come, is all because of this woman…Kagome Higurashi.

Realizing that he had been dumb struck a little too long he shouted, "Why the fuck did you do that, you wench?!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at Inuyasha's rudeness. Of course, another guy with attitude wanted to join the group. Why did she start to get the feeling that all men who wanted to kill people for a living had to have this annoying trait? Aside from this, she couldn't avoid the fact that this man, Inuyasha, had skills. Naraku's wishes for a new member came crawling to them.

"Well, it seems that you are aware of what we do here. I had to make sure you were at least good at keeping yourself alive," she replied calmly at the raging man.

"Well you're right about that. I am skilled," Inuyasha replied with another cocky smirk. "But if I didn't dodge that knife in time, you would have just left me to die?"

"We kill people for a living here. Another dead body wouldn't matter to me," Kagome stated without a hint of wary in her voice.

Inuyasha held back a shocked expression. He tried to remember that this woman was responsible for countless murders. He knew what this woman was like, Sesshomaru already told him what to expect from her, but it was still difficult to not feel pity. He kept asking himself how could such a young and gorgeous woman become like this?

"Well I guess I did manage to come to the right place," Inuyasha replied. "So, will you let me join you?"

"Maybe. You should understand that we couldn't just let anyone who wanders into this place to join us. What if you were a cop?" Kagome answered with a suspicious tone.

"Keh, you think I'm a fucking cop?"

"No fucking way! You aren't really considering this piece of shit for the open position Kagome?!" Kouga yelled. He was so outraged that this 'new' guy was already giving him so much attitude.

Kagome angrily turned to Kouga, already getting frustrated with his 'gangster' like attitude. "Shut up Kouga! I am getting tired of your attitude today. Do you really want to waste time trying to find someone else?"

Kouga quickly shut his trap and retreated back to his seat on the couch.

Inuyasha smirked at Kagome's control. The rest of her boys here were so whipped. When he joined, he was _never_ going to submit to her like the rest of them did.

Kagome turned back to Inuyasha to continue with their conversation. "I want to see what else you can do to contribute to the team."

Inuyasha smirked and swiftly took the gun hiding tucked in the back of his jeans to shoot a soda can that sat alone across the room on the kitchen counter. In less than a second the can fell to the ground with its contents spilling around it. "How's that?"

Kagome smiled. "Not bad Inuyasha. Guns are quick and easy for a kill, but even with a silencer, it still makes an audible noise," Kagome explained as she walked to the kitchen to grab two large knives. She swiftly tossed one towards Inuyasha and he caught it with ease while tucking his gun back behind his back.

"So what, you think a knife is better?" he questioned, his ego shrinking a bit after Kagome not being too impressed with his gun skills. "Sure it's quieter, but that means close contact, which leads to more evidence."

"True, but it's more fun." She smiled devilishly as she started to charge towards Inuyasha, raising her knife above his head aiming to strike down.

Inuyasha who seemed to be a bit distracted with her last statement, managed to dodge the knife a little too late is it cut some of his strands of hair.

"Pay attention Inuyasha or by the end of this match you won't have a single hair left on your head," Kagome said as she smiled, charging forward again.

Inuyasha growled at her threat, she was just a little too happy for a fight that could end up with injury. Two can play at this game.

As Kagome charged forward again, Inuyasha, who felt a little hesitant to strike her with his own knife, aimed to kick her in the stomach. Kagome quickly saw his intention managed to dodge his kick and turned around to give him a back kick into his jaw. Her large sharp heel broke at the impact, but not before letting his skin shed a little blood.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha spat as he wiped the blood from his face.

Kagome smiled in pleasure as she simply took off both of her boots, seeing as it's damage would prove unhelpful with having only one heel to walk on.

Kouga, Ginta and Hikaku just watched from the sidelines, smiling to themselves for Kagome's victory. She was a tough fighter, even for them. A rookie would have more trouble with her as his match.

This time, Inuyasha charged towards the young girl raising his knife ready to plunge into her stomach. As Kagome dodged, Inuyasha smiled as he quickly shifted his position to kick her in the side sending her crashing into the wall.

Kouga, Ginta and Hikaku held a shocked expression. They had never seen _anyone_ manage to kick Kagome like that.

Inuyasha, being pleased with himself from his reaction from the three guys smiled cockily at the girl struggling to compose herself. His smile faded quickly at the unexpected reaction he received from her.

Kagome was smiling to herself. No one has hurt her like that in a very long time. '_Finally, someone I can fight without holding back._'Holding onto her side to make sure her bones weren't broken, she managed to get back into a fighting stance again. This time she will get back at him at full force.

Inuyasha felt dumb struck again. _'Why the fuck is she smiling?'_

Kagome charged forward once again as Inuyasha held ready for her attack. At the last minute Kagome threw her knife towards his face. Inuyasha easily dodged the knife again, but at the change of his stance. He wasn't ready when Kagome slide under him and kicked his legs making him fall to the ground.

"What the…" Inuyasha said shocked as he quickly found himself pinned to the ground with Kagome on top of him. She held both of his wrists apart with his knife already knocked out of his hands when he fell.

Kagome smiled in victory as she held the large man down. She started to lean her head down so close until her lips could almost taste his. For some reason, his amber eyes were hypnotizing her, drawing her in.

Under the position Inuyasha was in, it crossed his mind that he just might die right now. He couldn't believe a woman could do this to him. Where had his pride gone? When her lips started to move closer to his, he suddenly felt stiff under her chocolate eye gaze. Suddenly he felt mesmerized, like he was looking into her _soul_ for the first time. Not as a killer, but maybe…a real person?

Getting out of his daze, Inuyasha saw that she parted her mouth about to whisper something to him. He took this time for her to be distracted and used his legs to wrap around hers and flip himself over so he now pinned her underneath him. He wasn't going to let a woman easily take advantage of him.

The wind knocked out of Kagome as she suddenly found herself on the other end of the stick.

Inuyasha now smiled in victory as his heavy weight pinned her down. There was no way she was going to get out of this position now. At the way he held her, he realized just how lean and inviting her body was as they fitted too perfectly with each other. Not only did her face look like those of an angel, but also her perfectly rounded butt arched her narrow back nicely so that he could feel her perky breast against his own hardened plate. Inuyasha had to suddenly fight the blood that was rushing to his lower sex at his sudden attractiveness to female killer. It _had_ been a while since he last had anything.

After a long silence Hikaku finally spoke up to his fellow comrades. "Is it just me or is this fight looking more and more like a steamy sex scene?"

Inuyasha smiled to himself as he suddenly had an idea.

Kagome's turned her head from the floor to face Hikaku as her eyes narrowed, she was about to tell him to shut up until she felt hot breath a little too closely to her ear.

Inuyasha leaned in closely to whisper. "He's right you know, I could take your sexy body into the next room to continue our 'fight'."

His husky voice sent chills up Kagome's spine as she recalled a familiar incident that happened far too long ago. Anger like no other boiled inside Kagome at the sudden recollection of her past. She wanted to quickly get out of this position, but his weight was too much for her. She had no choice but to distract him.

With Inuyasha's close proximity it was only too easy for Kagome to turn her head to have her lips capture his own.

Inuyasha held stiffly in shock from the kiss. He wasn't being serious when he said that! He only wanted her to lose her cocky composure. For some reason though he felt even more drawn to the girl as her lips parted open to deepen the kiss. He couldn't control himself as eyes closed tightly and shot his tongue out into her mouth. Forgetting about the audience who seemed all too quietly watching in surprise, Inuyasha released one of her wrists to feel her muscular legs. His hand started trailing closer and closer up until he managed to get under her skirt to grab her firm butt. He started to moan against her lips as was felt totally lost in her kiss, forgetting that he was undercover, forgetting that she is a killer.

Kagome held the kiss a little too long for comfort, she also had lost herself for a moment with the man, and she couldn't really understand why. It wasn't until she felt his rough hands squeeze her bottom from under her skirt that reality fell crashing onto her.

With Inuyasha deeply distracted, Kagome's took her now free hand and managed to reach over and grab the knife that Inuyasha let go of earlier. Suddenly feeling something hard forming close to her inner leg, Kagome's new formed anger and disgust gave her the energy to flip Inuyasha back over breaking the kiss. In all the sudden movement, Inuyasha couldn't prepare himself for when Kagome took the knife and plunged it deeply through Inuyasha opened hand, pinning him to the ground.

Inuyasha yelled in sudden pain, as he tried to comfort his injured hand. "FUCK! FUCKING BITCH! MY HAND!" Out of all the years of being undercover he had never come close to becoming this injured. And yet a _woman_ manages to do this to him. He felt so disappointed and ashamed in himself for letting his guard down for a mere kiss.

Kagome stood up as she had finally defeated the silver haired man. "That's for trying to fuck with me. And stop whining, you're hand will heal," she turned to walk towards her desk; she needed to make a call.

Hikaku and Ginta finally stood up laughing out of their stupor from that steamy scene. Kouga was beyond pissed that this bastard, Inuyasha, managed to steal a kiss from Kagome, after he tried to do that himself for so many years.

Ginta spoke up while still laughing hysterically. "So what are going to do with him Kagome?"

"Naraku wanted a new member to join us. He's got one," Kagome replied. As much as it sickened her to have this perverted bastard around, he was indeed skilled. It was already enough that he was able to kick her. No one has been able to do that to her in a very long time.

Kagome knew that, of course, she couldn't fully trust him. This sort of business didn't come by so easily without suspicion. She knew the rest of her comrades wouldn't trust him too easily with confidential information, but for now, Inuyasha can come here and train as she monitored him closely.

Kagome grabbed her cell phone from her desk and walked into the storeroom to make her call privately. She dialed the memorized number and waited for the ringing to cease to hear his disgusting voice.

Finally the ringing stopped as she heard Naraku's voice. "What is it?"

"I found a potential new member. He just showed up saying he heard about us from the _Underground_, and he had enough skills to show that he would prove to be useful," Kagome said, wanting to quickly end the conversation so she wouldn't have to hear his voice anymore.

"What's his name?"

"Inuyasha Taka."

"I'll do a background check on him. Just make sure you watch his every move," Naraku ordered.

"I'm not a fucking idiot," Kagome said as she rolled her eyes.

She couldn't see him, but she knew that Naraku was smirking on the other side of the phone. He hung up on her after a moment's pause.

Kagome shut her phone off and put it in her pocket. She walked out of the storeroom to see the others. Hikaku and Ginta helped Inuyasha up from the floor and showed him around the place while getting the bandages. Kouga already stormed out towards the garage to shatter some metal in his fury.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha while the two other men helped him with his wounds. Unconsciously her fingers touched her lips.

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How was that? I hope the fight scene was written well enough for your enjoyment!

So now there's some pretty steamy sexual tension between the two, and it's only their first encounter! Oh and there will definitely be more to come. And hopefully a lemon to come!

Please review!


	6. Training Day

A/N – Sorry it took me so long to update this story. I'm actually starting to make this up as I go =S. I have finished the plot, but as for the events in-between err…well let's hope it's not just mindless fillers.

_Bo_ – a long sparring bamboo stick you see in most movies

**Beta-reader: DarkSacredJewelXoX**

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****The Rat**

**Chapter Six – Training Day**

"Again."

Raging in anger, the two clashed at one another, each trying to take the other down, but to no avail neither can finish the work.

"Again!"

Kouga charged towards his opponent, raising his fist above his head and then swiftly crouching low to catch his opponent off guard while kicking him to the ground.

Ginta groaned in defeat as he was quickly pinned down.

"Again!" Kagome shouted. She was already getting bored with their predictable fighting moves.

He had had enough of this. Screw her. "Fuck you Kagome! I've been fighting Koga for the last hour! I need a break," Ginta said as got up to walk towards the kitchen. He really needed a drink.

Inuyasha and Hikaku watched the exchange from the comfort of the couch as they continued to do the daily chore of cleaning out the weapons.

Inuyasha's amber eyes glazed from the shine he got as he polished his silver 9mm handgun – his favorite weapon. The duty of cleaning out the artilary was placed upon him due to an 'unfortunate' injury during the battle with Kagome yesterday. Unconsciously, he tugged at the bandages that wrapped around his left hand. It made it all the more difficult to finish his simple task of cleaning.

"Koga has been sparring for the past _two_ hours and he looks fine. Ginta, you are slacking in endurance _and_ technique!" Kagome shouted.

"I honestly don't give a shit right now Kagome. I won't die in a fight because of that. Besides why should we train so fucking hard, it's not like the victims _know_ when we're coming," Ginta said as he went to grab a cup of water from the kitchen.

Kagome's face contorted with distaste. After five years of training with Ginta, he still didn't understand her reasons after repeatedly telling him. "Don't you fucking get cocky with me. You know well enough why we train so hard. Yes, our victims are _usually_ weak, however, that does not mean we slack off. I want a clean and flawless attack…no mistakes."

Ginta simply shrugged off Kagome's routine lecture and continued to guzzle down the large cup of water he filled, quenching his thirst. Sweat poured from his body as he tried to cool himself down. "Whatever."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Ginta was a good enough fighter. She was just being strict with him to _trick_ him into actually put a little effort every day.

Now that she thought about it, the victims Naraku made them go after were a little weak. Where was the fun in that? Everyone could take a break every once in a while, but no. The last time they slacked off, one of them happened to get seriously injured, which had a really annoying detour in their original plans.

Kagome looked over to where Kouga stood waiting for his next order. She sighed. Hikaku already had his fair share of the battle of the day. She looked over the silver-haired man, who seemed all too interested in cleaning his own weapon. Time to test out the new guy again.

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked up from admiring his weapon to see Kagome gazing at him with a coy smile. He returned her smile with an irritated scowl. "What?"

"You're up against Kouga," she said as she went to grab two long bamboo _bo_'s for sparring.

"What? Do you see my hand Kagome? Or did you already forget what you did to it yesterday?!" he shouted as he stood in outrage.

Kagome tossed the bo to Kouga ignoring the man's angry stupor. "Yes, and you're still going to spar."

"You have got to be kidding me. I can't fight when I'm injured!"

"Injuries happen all the time in this sort of business. You need to learn how to cope with the pain and be able to maneuver while momentarily disabled." She smirked. "I bet you never trained like this before."

Kouga took this time to speak up. "Don't tell me you're scared…dog boy."

"Oh fuck it. I can take you on with both hands injured!" Inuyasha walked up to Kagome and grabbed the bamboo bo roughly from her hands.

Kagome moved back to give the two boys room to fight.

Inuyasha grabbed the stick tightly in his right hand while holding a light grip with his left. It still hurt like fuck, but he had to endure it. This idiot wolf wasn't going to show him up!

Kouga stood in his fighting stance, waiting for Kagome to call out for the fight to begin.

"Go!" she yelled. Kagome watched as both boys clashed at each other. Kouga ran at full force swinging the tough piece of wood down on Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha managed to block Kouga's attack with his own weapon, but the weak hold to block Kouga didn't go unnoticed by Kagome. His hand was still hurting pretty badly. For an instant, Kagome felt a little guilty for hurting him yesterday, but then again, this was all for his training. If he couldn't deal with it here, he wouldn't make it out in the real world where people didn't care if he had died…almost like her.

Inuyasha still held his form against the force of Kouga's bo, but he felt the pain in his hand shoot up his arm and cringed.

Kouga noticed Inuyasha's sudden strain and took this opportunity to quickly change his position and knock Inuyasha aside with the bo.

"Ugh," Inuyasha grunted in pain as he felt his ribs ache from the sudden blow. There was _no way_ he was going to let Kouga win just because he was injured. His cocky smirk was starting to piss him off.

It was Inuyasha's turn to charge. He knew he couldn't put any needless pressure on his left hand. He had to depend on his speed and technique to conquer Kouga. Running quickly, Inuyasha managed to charge forward and crouch low to kick Kouga to the ground.

Kagome watched the fight with mild interest. The boys continued to exchange blows at one another. Each managed to injure each other here and there. When neither could fully knock the other down, she had grown tired of watching.

"Okay, that's enough."

Both men instantly stopped their attacks, and turned to face Kagome's wrath.

"Kouga, this is ridiculous. It has been fifteen minutes and you couldn't even take Inuyasha down. He is fucking injured for crying out loud. This should be easy for a guy with as much experience as you."

"What?!" Kouga yelled.

Inuyasha was laughing. He pretty much beat the cocky bastard.

"And _you_, Inuyasha. Don't you start getting cocky with me. You didn't manage to pin down Kouga either so this still isn't a victory for you," Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha was beyond pissed. What would it take to impress this girl? He had put so much effort into everything, but nothing worked! He just fucking fought dead even with a guy _while_ injured. Suddenly, he started to miss the comfort of his office.

"I'd like to see you fucking fight while _your _hand is injured, and then you tell me if it's easy!" Okay, Inuyasha knew this was a lame argument, but at this point, he didn't really care.

Kagome smiled.

Hikaku spoke from his position on the couch, still cleaning the weapons. "Uh Inuyasha, she fought two guys off with a broken leg. Which is a lot more than what you can do with a bleeding hand."

All three men laughed at the memory. The four of them had to kill a group of men who went behind Naraku's back on another deal. In the room where the deal was going down, the floor beneath Kagome caved into a secret room where two men were hiding. The fall had left her right leg broken badly, but she simply put all of her weight onto her left leg and attacked, never letting her injury hold her back. The boys were terrified of Kagome's strength then, and they still were now. Of course, it was only under Naraku's training that led Kagome to be able to become the leader of the Tokyo division. It was under Kagome's instruction that led this division to be Naraku's best assassination group.

Inuyasha could do nothing but stare at the floor in shame. He knew this younger girl was supposed to be one of the most deadly assassins in Japan, but he never knew that she was this much better skilled than him.

Kagome saw Inuyasha's defeated look and smiled. "Inuyasha, I want you to try again."

With a renewed determination, Inuyasha got out of his depressed state and felt a sudden surge of energy to defeat Kouga. He was not going to disappoint Kagome. He needed to prove to her that he could meet her standards and that he deserved to be kept in the Tokyo division team.

Without speaking, Inuyasha gripped his bo and walked back to the centre of the fighting area. Koga followed suit and stood still. Both were waiting for Kagome's okay.

"Go!"

Once again both men charged at each other. Kouga's speed became faster than the first round, and Inuyasha knew he had to try something different in order to take down his opponent.

Kouga used his bo and tried to hit Inuyasha in the ribs again, but failed as Inuyasha turned to block his attack.

Throughout the fight Inuyasha bit down on his lip just to not cry in pain as his hand throbbed from being used. His mind wandered to think of a solution to bear with the injury and then realization hit him at full force.

Kouga's movements started to slow as his cocky demeanor resumed to take over from the previous fight. It wasn't until he saw Inuyasha's smile that he began to worry. What on earth was Inuyasha thinking?

Kagome noticed Inuyasha's change in position and wondered what he had planned up his sleeve.

Inuyasha held the bo steady with both hands in front of his chest. He knew he would only have to bear with the pain for a moment, and then everything else will simply fall into place. Quickly, he forcibly brought the bo down hard against his knee breaking the long bamboo stick in half. His face cringed at the sudden force his hand had to be put through. He tossed one half onto the ground and held the other now sharper ended bo in his right hand.

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the realization of Inuyasha's new strategy. Of course it made sense now. The long bo could only be held with both hands for it to be useful, but since his left hand only held back the amount of force that could be put into the weapon, it made sense for Inuyasha to simply shorten the stick so it could be used like a sword.

Kouga laughed. "There's no way a shortened stick can reach me while I hold the bo at full length."

"We'll just see about that wolf." Inuyasha spat.

The angered Kouga charged forward this time readying the bo to strike down on top of Inuyasha's head.

Now that Inuyasha's bo was lighter, he was able to move quickly out of the way and use the sharp ended bo to get behind Kouga and plunge it into his back. He made sure not to push the stick all the way but just enough to hurt the man and claim victory.

Kouga cried out as he felt the tearing sensation of being stabbed. He doubled over in pain and fell to his knees in defeat. "I…I lost."

Hikaku immediately stood up from his position on the couch to grab the first aid kit.

Inuyasha's chest heaved up and down as he panted in exhaustion. He did it. He fought off a tough opponent with one working hand. Soft clapping could be heard from the corner of the room. Inuyasha turned to see Kagome with a pleased smile on her face as she showered him with congratulations. This was the first genuinely happy smile he had seen since the day he met her. Inuyasha smiled back. Standing tall, he wiped the sweat from his brow and tossed the bo aside waiting for Kagome to speak.

When Kagome's mouth opened about to say something, she was interrupted when she felt something vibrate in her pocket. She dug into her pants and grabbed the assaulted phone and flipped it open to read a text.

Inuyasha looked from where he stood and saw an unreadable expression on her face.

"Good work boys. You're done for the day. You may go home," Kagome said without looking up as she placed the phone back into her pocket.

'_What the fuck, that was it?!'_ Inuyasha thought as he watched Kagome turn her back on them to walk into the back room where the weapons were stored.

"God damn it Inuyasha!" Hikaku yelled from the kitchen as he helped Koga clean his wound. "You weren't supposed to stab it into his back that deep!"

Inuyasha looked at Koga whose eyes were squinting from the pain as Hikaku went through the agonizing task of stitching the skin back together. Inuyasha muttered a quick sorry under his breath before he followed Kagome into the back room. He wanted to know what was up with the text she got. Not only was it part of his job, to spy, but also his own personal curiosity got the better of him. For some reason, he needed to know what was going on.

He walked through the back door and closed it to make sure the other boys would not overhear their conversation. Towards the back of the messy storage room was a secured door with a coded keypad to access it. Inuyasha was still not trusted to know the code yet, but Kagome had left the door open. He could hear from outside the weaponry room that Kagome was fiddling with a gun to make sure that the bullets loaded properly with no mechanical failure like she always did. _"What is she up to?"_

"I know you're there Inuyasha," Kagome called from inside the fluorescent lit room. "Come in."

Inuyasha walked inside to see a large metal table in the centre of the room and shelves of weaponry of all kinds. There were snipers, shotguns, handguns, explosives, and a variety of knives and swords. _"She really does love the use of a blade."_

Inuyasha leaned against the door with his arms crossed. "So what did you think of my fight with Koga today?" he asked with a smirk.

Once again, he got to see Kagome's genuine smile. "I have to say, I'm actually very impressed. You're a quick learner. It's not easy for a normal human to bear with physical pain while keeping their mind focused on the task at hand."

"Well, we aren't normal humans."

Kagome scoffed. "You're right." She continued with her work of checking and cleaning the guns before loading them into a black duffle bag.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked when he saw her grab a sniper.

"Once in a while, my boss calls me up on a solo mission," she said as she started to check the scope on the gun.

"Why just you?" Inuyasha asked. "Don't you need back up? That's what this team is here for right?"

"Nope. I can handle this myself. I'll be gone for three days. In the mean time, Koga will be training you and the other two sods."

"Keh, that injured boy can't do jack with what I've done with him. If anything, you should be asking _me_ to train those boys up. I am a better fighter, after all." Inuyasha felt this pull as he moved himself closer to her. He began to seductively lean down to her face. He didn't know what brought this upon him, but ever since their steamyfight the other day, he continued to feel drawn to her.

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed as she settled her work back down on the table. She then turned around to grab a lock of his silver to draw his attention that she was serious. "You listen carefully, that kiss meant nothing. All men are horny bastards, and that kiss was only used as a tool to distract you. Nothing more."

Inuyasha smirked. "Even so, you kept that kiss lingering for a lot longer than you intended it for. Am I right?" he questioned her knowingly. "If we didn't have an audience, I bet you would have taken me right then and there."

Kagome's eyes narrowed to mere slits from her anger. "I would _never_ stoop so low as to go all the way." Suddenly she used her strength and shoved Inuyasha to the back wall and held her right forearm tight under his neck, nearly choking him.

"What the…"

"You make sure this fact burns into your brain before I leave. _Never_, have I ever felt that the act of kissing another man brings out _any_ feelings. If they ever wanted to go further than that…to sex me up. I had _always_ killed them before that happens." Kagome gave one final shove tight against Inuyasha's exposed neck before she released him. A dark memory lured in her mind as she recalled the night.

Inuyasha inhaled a lungful of air he didn't notice he lost in the first place. He grabbed his throat and felt that it was going to bruise in the morning. "So...ugh…you're saying you're still a virgin?" he questioned incredulously.

"Huh…as if I'd tell you that," Kagome said as she returned back to the table to finish packing.

Inuyasha looked once over at the angry vixen. Once again, his pride shrank a little to have a mere woman take advantage of him like that. However, he could do nothing but stare. His life was on the line with this mission, and he could _not_ fail. His memory linked back to the photograph of this girl in high school. He still couldn't believe that this woman before him was that same girl in the photograph. She continued to capture his interest on how on earth such an innocent girl has become this evil entity.

"Don't you trust me yet?" he asked.

Kagome turned and gave him a once over. "No."

Inuyasha was confused. "I don't understand. Sex to people like us means nothing, but to you…it seems that it's something much more," he speculated. He saw her eyes turn dark as if staring into a memory.

Kagome finally zipped up her duffle bag and turned to the door to exit, stopping to wait for Inuyasha to follow suit and leave the room.

Inuyasha managed to hear her whisper something before she left.

"_You wouldn't understand. You have no idea what I've gone through."_

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_Reviews are always nice =)


	7. On Their Own

A/N – Thank you everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites. All of your comments are really encouraging. =)

I did plan on updating this chapter earlier, but I ended up extending it, so there's more for you to read! =)

Enjoy!

**Beta-reader: DarkSacredJewelXoX**

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* * *

****The Rat**

**Chapter Seven – On Their Own**

Last Time:

Inuyasha looked once at the angry vixen. Once again, his pride shrank a little to have a mere woman take advantage of him like that. However, he could do nothing but stare. His life was on the line with this mission, and he could _not_ fail. His memory linked back to the photograph of this girl in high school. He still couldn't believe that this woman before him was that same girl in the photograph. She continued to capture his interest on how on earth such an innocent girl has become this evil entity.

"Don't you trust me yet?" he asked.

Kagome turned and gave him a once over. "No."

Inuyasha was confused. "I don't understand. Sex to people like us means nothing, but to you…it seems that it's something much more," he speculated. He saw her eyes turn dark as if staring into a memory.

Kagome finally zipped up her duffle bag and turned to the door to exit, stopping to wait for Inuyasha to follow suit and leave the room.

Inuyasha managed to hear her whisper something before she left.

"You wouldn't understand. You have no idea what I've gone through."

* * *

It was another cold night, as it always was. It seemed that fate would always look down on her and give her the dark night that she pleaded for when she went out for another kill. It wasn't the cliché movies that had set the dark tone for a murderous night, but it simply happened because taking away a soul was indeed very dark. Somehow the fates knew this and granted the darkness.

She was always given three fucking days to finish a job. Naraku knew that was all the time she needed, but still, it was a little rushed. Especially since all he would give her was a name and a crappy picture. No location, no social security number…not even a fucking birthday. Not that the last part really mattered.

Kagome knew this was the perfect night. It was a fairly isolated area. A small wooden cabin in the middle of the woods. Seriously, it was almost too easy. This fucker almost pleaded to be killed. It took Kagome two days prior to find the son of a bitch. She went through phone bills, insurance companies, car rentals, and even dental records to find Habiki Notorou. After painstaking hours sitting in a run-down motel looking through her computer and questioning the few civilians in the nearby town, she managed to find the bald, bearded man.

With her carefully skilled hands, Kagome took out her wire and pin and began picking the backdoor lock. Even when she heard the lock give an audible click, she knew the sound would not reach Habiki's ears. It was late into the evening, and she knew that he would be busy watching the late night porn show while he pleasured himself. She already knew what his patterns were like in preparation for this night. Stalking him was easy when the guy was too busy with his life to notice his surroundings. Kagome knew this guy was a bum that did the same thing everyday. Habiki Notorou would wake up late in the afternoon, drive to the nearest gas station to play the lottery, then spend the rest of the night at a bar. He would watch the old television set that hung above the bar table and yell angrily at the losing team. She assumed that he placed bets on the game and was losing money…badly. He would drink until midnight and then Habiki would take the long walk home back to his isolated cabin as he wallowed in his losses. Yep, Habiki was a total bum. No one would miss him once she got through with him. Kagome almost wondered why the fuck Naraku would even give a shit about this bald bearded bum? No rhyming scheme intended. However, she knew not to question Naraku's intentions. After the first couple of years of doing this routine of solo kills, she knew it was pointless to get involved in his affairs. Kagome couldn't understand why every so often Naraku would make her do these solo missions, but she didn't want to question that either. For some reason, her targets seemed to be more challenging than the last, and she did indeed enjoy the challenge.

But seriously, Habiki Notorou was definitely not a part of her challenging list of targets.

Kagome quietly opened the back door and brought herself inside. She cursed silently when the old hinge gave an audible creak. She stopped to listen for any sign of movement. The back door entered into the kitchen and she raised her hand against her nose when she smelled that god-awful stench of rotten eggs. How on earth did the guy live in such a dump?

Without bothering to close the door, Kagome headed towards the living room where she would find Habiki lying on his recliner. Flickering lights could be seen around the corner of the kitchen into another room. The television, of course, was on.

Kagome's sharp heel clicked quietly against the linoleum floor. Every other step she waited and listened if Habiki decided to move from his chair. With her back against the wall, she slid her body against it. Reaching into her leather jacket, she pulled out her gun from her holster and quickly slid on the silencer. Originally, she wanted to use her knife, but the guy was a real fat ass, and it would take many stabs in the chest to bring him down.

As she neared closer to the small opening into the living room the sound from the television became more audible. Sounds of moans of a woman in pleasure rose to a peak as the porn star reached her climax. Kagome swore she heard a few male grunts in the process, but she assumed it was Habiki finishing his rub. Well, it was obvious that Habiki wasn't going to pay attention for what was going to happen next.

Kagome readied her gun and turned her body from the wall to walk through the opening. There she saw the old television box play a crappy video of a naked woman clearly licking the member of another man. Kagome's attention drew away from the screen and onto the back of the large recliner. The earlier grunting she heard before was silent and all she heard was the sounds of the woman on the screen. The man on the chair was still. She raised her gun towards the back of his head, and that was when she noticed something there that shouldn't be. This man had hair.

That was when she heard the click of the hammer of a gun behind her.

"Fuck," Kagome cursed. She closed her eyes in remorse. All of that preparation wasted just to be cornered. "You're pretty watchful of yourself. Who the hell is the guy sitting in your chair?"

"Another guy who tried to kill me earlier. I kept the body and it proved to be useful," Habiki said as he pushed his pistol against the back of Kagome's head. "Now drop the gun, and don't you even think about trying anything smart with me. I'll have this bullet through your head before you can even turn around."

Kagome sighed and dropped the gun to floor. She didn't really need it, so why bother agitating the guy? She was more concerned about pressing matters. "How did you know I was coming?"

He laughed, the pistol's tip shaking against Kagome's head as the large man heaved giant breaths. "I'm not that stupid. Naraku has been after me for _years_. I know how to watch my back and you, kid, are no different. I have a radar for people like you. I may not have been able to spot you out, but I know when I'm being watched."

Kagome internally sighed in relief. It was good to know that it wasn't her lack of skills that got her in this predicament. The asshole just had a lucky guess.

That little bit of knowledge was all Kagome needed to know before killing him. She knew that turning around would give Habiki enough time to shoot her, so she settled for a different attack.

Kagome suddenly threw herself forward on her hands in a frontal flip. As her legs flew up she kicked the gun out of Habiki's hands. The large man was so startled with her sudden movement that he didn't have the chance to regain his composure when Kagome quickly turned around to kick him in the side of his head.

Against the force, Habiki's large body lost balance and smashed against the wall. Falling to the ground, he held his assaulted head in his hands. Blood flowed freely from his wound.

"You stupid bitch!" he yelled as he looked up from his spot on the floor, readying himself for whatever came next.

Habiki wasn't prepared when he came face to face with the end of the barrel. When did this woman grab the gun?

Kagome smiled and held the gun firmly pointed at Habiki's shiny, hairless, forehead. Slowly she cocked the hammer.

Looking into her dark pools of brown, Habiki had a wave of déjà vu. Suddenly his body felt light and he realized he wasn't in the living room of his cabin anymore. Instead, he was in a small condo surrounded by flames. A tall dark haired woman stood before him with a gun pointed towards his head. Realizing death was inevitable, he stared into the eyes of his killer. "Kasumi…"

Kagome's finger lingered longingly at the trigger. It would only take a fraction of a second to take away another life. As the word passed through Habiki's lips, it quickly froze Kagome's touch on the trigger. His eyes were blankly staring into her face, like a deer caught in the headlights. Why the fuck did he just say that name?

Kagome's wicked smile quickly faded as she questioned, "What did you just say?"

Habiki's dilated pupils snapped back to reality and narrowed in disgust. "You can't be her…s-she died long ago."

That was not the answer she was looking for. Of course she was dead. Kagome already knew that. She forcibly pushed the gun under the man's double chin and brought herself close to his face angrily demanding an answer. "How the fuck do you know that name?!"

"Why the fuck should I tell you?!" Habiki spat. "You're going to kill me off anyways!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed into mere slits and slowly backed away along with the gun. "Oh, is that what you think?" Screw the mission. The entire situation has changed. As long as this bastard was dead in the end, it didn't matter what Kagome did to him in between.

A regretful fear crossed Habiki's expression.

Kagome calmly placed her gun on the small table beside the recliner and reached for the small knife in the back pocket of her jeans. She was definitely going to enjoy this bastard's screaming.

Habiki froze into place, not daring to move a single inch in fear of the girl's wrath. When he saw her pull out the knife with longing in her eyes, he swallowed. "W-what are you going to do to me?" he asked stutteringly, trying to control his racing heart.

Kagome held the knife in both hands. The pointed tip played across her fingers. "I'm going to ram this knife under your nails and pull them apart. Removing them one by one until you can never scratch yourself again. Unless, of course, you tell me how you know that name," Kagome spoke in a menacing tone, her eyes never leaving from the blades gleam.

Habiki's mouth hung open at the threat. He shouldn't feel this frightened. She was just a woman and he was twice her size. She left the gun on the table while his gun was on the ground near the television set. If he could just reach either one, he can take on this girl and quickly kill her off without hesitation. He played this idea over and over again in his mind as the girl slowly walked towards him, but no matter how hard he tried, his body disobeyed him from moving and instead shook with fear. There was something about the glee in her eyes. The glee of torturing him that made him quiver so.

With all the strength a two hundred and fifty pound man can muster, he managed to force himself to charge himself forward. "F-fuck you!"

Kagome was slightly surprised at his sudden ability to attack and ducked as he swung his heavy arms at her. She bent low and heaved her body to slam into his flabby stomach to try and shove him down to the floor again, but he was too heavy and only managed to get him to stumble back a bit.

With a war cry, Habiki ran forward again with arms out. Kagome, of course was too fast for him and took the knife in her hand to stab it into his forearm. Habiki screamed as he held his arm close to himself trying with great difficulty to soothe the pain.

"Fucking bitch!"

"What did you expect would happen charging at me unarmed?"

Habiki glared daggers at her. If he was going to live, he had to do whatever it takes. He grabbed firmly onto the knife in his arm and quickly pulled it out, screaming as the blade cut further along the sides. Once again he pushed himself to attack.

Realizing that now Kagome was unarmed she turned to do a sidekick, but was stopped short when she unexpectedly pulled back. Her scalp ripped painfully across the back of her skull as she felt her hair being pulled roughly. Then a pain shocked through her system when she felt the knife being stabbed deeply into her back.

Habiki pushed the blade further into her flesh and just as quickly pulled back ready to stab her again.

Kagome let out a scream and pushed herself forward, ignoring the pain from her hair being pulled, to kick back against Habiki's chest. When he stumbled, Kagome turned around to punch him in the face while knocking the knife out of his hands. Once again, Habiki was on the ground. This time, Kagome didn't hesitate the grab her gun from the table and shoot three bullets into Habiki's leg to prevent him from moving anymore.

Habiki yelled so hard that tears started to spill as he held onto his abused left leg. "Y-you bitch. You fucking bitch!"

Kagome winced slightly when she lowered herself near the injured bastard. How the fuck did he manage to grab her in the first place? Next time, she planned on tying up her hair. "Are you going to tell me how you've come to know that name? Or am I going to have to shoot your other leg too?"

"Fuck you," Habiki spat.

Kagome blinked, and then shot Habiki's kneecap.

"I'll ask you one last time. How do you know that name?" Kagome asked patiently this time, while she pressed the barrel of her gun hard against Habiki's crotch.

Now, Habiki was sweating fervently. He knew he was going to die. The look in that cold bitch's stare was enough proof of his demise. He couldn't even bring her down after stabbing her in the back. Fucking bitch was a stone.

Right now he was in so much pain, he couldn't imagine what it would feel like to become a eunuch, and he didn't plan on finding out either. When he heard the hammer click, he spilled the truth out like vomit. "O-okay, okay," he said with his hands held up in defeat. "She tried to kill me alright? You fucking satisfied?"

Kagome shakily pulled the gun away. Her eyes glazed over in blankness. _"That's impossible…"_

"I only figured out the name because the bitch wanted me to know it before she killed me. She fucking broke into my house, like you did, set it on fire, and then held me at gunpoint, just like you. I was only lucky to get away because the building collapsed before she could finish me off."

Kagome's eyes shifted in a haze as she continued to listen. None of this should be possible.

"All you fucking assassins. Trying to get me over a couple of thousand bills. That bastard Naraku has been sending bitches to try and kill me, all because I stopped financing his fucking science project."

This new fact peaked Kagome's interest. Her earlier mixed emotions about Kasumi momentarily faded. "What science project?"

"Heh, I don't even fucking know, yet still Naraku went as far as to get people like you to rid me of this world."

Kagome had had enough. She knew not to meddle with Naraku's business affairs. As long as she got the job done and got paid, it didn't matter what he did. She was only looking out for number one. Kagome was satisfied that Habiki didn't know anything else about Kasumi. For now, it was enough information for her to investigate.

Habiki was done. He was a waste of flesh, and it was time for her job to be completed.

"You got that right," Kagome said as she stood to pull the trigger to his head.

Blood splashed against the dirtied wall, an explosion of red fireworks spread out in every direction. Habiki's eyes stared blankly ahead, his internal clock coming to a stop. Habiki Notorou was no more.

Now that she was alone, she felt her composure crumple as she sank to the floor holding her head as she shook. _"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"_ She internally cursed. Anguish filled her heart after she heard that name again. Many questions filled her mind with confusion as to why Kasumi would even hold a fucking gun. Memories that she thought was locked deep into the back of her mind resurfaced and a tear fought to be released. Kagome hadn't cried since that night, and she refused to do so again.

Kagome didn't actually want to return to that dark part of her past by investigating Kasumi's true identity, but she knew that if she didn't, it would plague her mind for all of eternity.

Locking up her emotions, Kagome stood and fixed her jacket. Right now was not the right time to be breaking down.

Kagome checked her phone and noticed it was a little past one in the morning. She gave Kouga a quick call and then hung up when Kouga was about to turn it into a long conversation.

It was still late in the night, but Kagome had much work to do. The wound in her back was still bleeding, but the pain didn't deter her from finishing her task. She placed her gun back into its holster and began the tedious task of ridding the cabin of any traces of evidence that could be linked back to her. She left the body as is.

* * *

It was strange how different a day could feel when one single person was missing. What was worse was that it had only been nearly three days without the raven mistress, and he only knew her for a mere two days. How the fuck did that happen?

Oh yeah…

Well for one thing, she grabbed his attention after that steamy kiss.

Secondly, she was…interesting.

As much as it churned Inuyasha's insides for acknowledging this fact: for a woman, yes, she was indeed interesting…different.

Maybe it could also be because Kouga was placed in charge of their training for the last few days, and wow was that an adventure. Half of the day was wasted because the two couldn't stop bickering at each others fighting form, and there was no Kagome to control the situation.

Inuyasha laid on the bed in his condo staring at the ceiling. He still hadn't been in contact with his comrades. It had already been a week since he last talked to Sesshomaru, but he knew it would be too risky to try anything now. He wasn't surprised if the rest of Kagome's crew was spying on him at this very moment. Lying on a bed twenty stories high.

Nevertheless, Inuyasha still had to find the chance to get in contact with Sango or Miroku. They already planned how they would contact each other before beginning his mission. With Kagome still gone, he could easily contact Sango before Kouga and the rest find anything suspicious. Those boys were too stupid to figure out anything, but with Kagome, he didn't want to risk anything while he still couldn't gain her trust.

Inuyasha couldn't sleep. For the last couple of days, all that was on his mind was Kagome. It fucking bothered him that all he was thinking about was a murderous wench. His job was to catch criminals like her, not…think about what they were up to just for the sake of wondering. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, his mind kept wandering back to their conversation before she left. Everything with her was so dark and such a damn secret. Even talking about sex brought a rage inside her that he had never seen before in any other person. Was she raped perhaps? That was a plausible conclusion to her behavior, but even so…would that be enough to give her soul to the darkness? To kill? These questions plagued Inuyasha's mind, and he needed to do something to distract himself from them. His job needed to be kept simple. All of these mind games needed to stop and start thinking like the great undercover cop that he was. Not a fucking psychologist.

It was just past midnight and Inuyasha still couldn't sleep. He stood up from his bed, grabbed his coat from the closet, and walked out of the condo. The coffee shop should still be open. It was time that he paid Sango a visit.

* * *

"Where the fuck do you think he's going?" Kouga asked Ginta from the passenger seat, pulling his eyes free from his binoculars.

"How am I supposed to know? That's why were following him," Ginta replied.

"Well then drive you idiot! He's already out of the parking lot!"

"I'm not stupid! If I follow him too closely, he'll easily spot us!"

Kouga sighed. "Sometimes I wish Hikaku was here instead of you. He's a better driver anyways."

"Fuck you."

The city lights were still full of life even though the streets were quiet. The car purred as the two drove a few car lengths behind. A couple of minutes passed by as they continued to tail Inuyasha, as instructed by Kagome. She made it clear that if they left Inuyasha alone for even a second, she would strangle them when she got back.

"Isn't this the direction of the wolf's den?" Ginta asked.

"Yeah," Kouga confirmed. "Why the hell is he heading back there?"

"Oh wait. He's stopping at this corner," Ginta said as he pulled the car to park near the curb.

Kouga pulled his binoculars over his eyes to see Inuyasha getting out of his car to walk into a coffee shop called "The Black Bean."

"Coffee at this hour?" Ginta asked.

"I guess so. Or maybe he's getting a donut." Kouga laughed. That was when he saw the female barista walk into his line of sight. Kouga whistled low. "Damn…or maybe he's just getting some tail for the night."

"What? Let me see! Gimme the binoculars," Ginta shouted, making a move to grab the lenses from Kouga.

"No way! Get your own," Kouga said shifting his body away, his eyes never leaving his view on the brown haired beauty.

* * *

Inuyasha heard the familiar sound of bells as he opened the door to the Black Bean. Seriously, it was very unoriginal. As he opened the glass door, it reflected a white Mercedes with two men in the front seats. Inuyasha forced himself not to smirk. Did they really think he was that much of a moron? He already noticed their car when he pulled out of his apartment building's parking lot. The two idiots were also currently parked really close to his view, and he could easily see the outlined figure of Kouga holding spyglasses. _"Keh…amateurs."_

Inuyasha walked up to the register and tapped on the bell a few times to signal that he was there. A few moments later a young barista with a red apron came out from the back door. Her hair was tied high into a ponytail and Inuyasha simply had to smile to finally see a familiar face.

"Hi there. How may I help you?" she asked, giving her a customer-pleasing smile.

Inuyasha leaned forward on the front desk to bring himself closer to her. "If you could give me a couple of those chocolate Danishes that'll be great."

"How many sir?"

"Two sounds good." Inuyasha turned to the side to see a stack of various packets of gum and candy. He fingered a trident fruit explosion packet and placed it in front of the register, ready to purchase that as well.

Sango took out a box and tongs to package the Danishes. Her eye came in contact with Inuyasha every so often as she did her task.

Inuyasha fingered the gum packet and started tapping on it as he waited patiently for his food. He made sure Sango saw every beat of his tapping as he sent her his Morse code message. _"M-I-R-O-K-U. 5. A-L-L-E-Y. T-R-I-D-E-N-T."_ He knew it was a very short and vague message, but as long as Sango passed this information along to Miroku, his long-term comrade and friend would be able to figure it out. He couldn't risk tapping out long sentences knowing full well that he was being watched.

Sango charged the food and gum and collected the money. As she was grabbing Inuyasha's change, she discreetly folded the corner of the bill before she handed it back to him.

"Have a nice night sir."

"Thanks. You too." Inuyasha left the store and climbed back into his car.

* * *

"I guess he wasn't planning on banging that chick," Kouga said as he put away his binoculars.

"He was just hungry after all."

"Don't you think it was kinda suspicious though? I mean what do you think he was talking about with that girl? They looked like they were flirting a lot."

"Uh, I think you're over thinking things Kouga. The guy was just being nice while ordering food. I don't see anything wrong with that. It wasn't like he was excessively talking with her either. There was no room for exchanging of information like what the cops would do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kouga felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he took it out to answer.

"Kouga speaking."

"_It's me. Are you watching him right now?"_

"Yeah. He's just leaving a coffee shop near our impound."

"_You guys can go home now. I'll be back tomorrow morning." _

"You sure about that Kagome? He's still wandering about."

"_If you want to stay up all night, be my guest."_

Kouga was met with a dead line. Stupid bitch had no patience for a phone conversation anymore.

"Let's turn around Ginta. Kagome says we're done."

"Alright then."

Ginta pulled the car out from the curb and drove themselves home to their own apartments.

* * *

Everything went smoothly. The folded bill meant that Sango had no problems understand his coded message. She also knew that they were being watched by two men when he ordered the Danishes. In five days, Inuyasha will be able to get in contact with Miroku.

As Inuyasha headed for his car, he glanced back to see the white Mercedes pull out from the curb to head into the opposite direction. It meant that they believed he was simply out buying a snack and was doing nothing suspicious.

Good.

* * *

A/N – Hope you enjoyed the extra-long chapter. I started writing a bit more everyday, and I ended up extending this chapter a lot longer than what I originally planned. At one point I stayed up until 5am just because I was on a roll and couldn't stop writing =P

Please review and let me know how the fight scene was. I hope it was clear and kept you interested. =)


	8. Blood Ties

A/N – I'm sorry I took so long to update even though I said I would write the Rat faster, but I'm just finishing off my second year in University so I had exams/tests/projects all due in a single month. However, now I'm free to concentrate on my writing. I hope to finish the Rat by this summer.

To the reviewers I could not reply to:

NurNur – I usually make Kagome's past confusing, but don't worry all will be cleared up.

wolfy the white wolf – Thanks a lot lol. More flirty to come ;)

**Beta-reader: DarkSacredJewelXoX**

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****The Rat**

**Chapter Eight – Blood Ties**

Five hours of sleep was all Inuyasha could handle tonight. It was too hot for summer and the sheets stuck to his warm sweat, making it uncomfortable to fall into a deep slumber.

He knew he shouldn't have eaten one of those damn chocolate Danish's before going to sleep. Eating junk food late at night would always bring horrible dreams.

Inuyasha tossed the covers off himself while becoming frustrated when the sheets tangled at his feet. With the covers finally off, he allowed the air in his condo to cool his half naked body. He sat up slowly and held his head in his hands. The alarm clock to his right told him it was nearly six in the morning. On any other day, he would fall right back asleep angry that he woke up so early, but not today. Today he would get out of bed and do something.

He closed his eyes, and a faint picture of his nightmare returned.

Inuyasha was ten years old. Red and blue lights flashed around his house as the piercing sounds of sirens poured in. A policeman wrapped yellow crime scene investigation tape across the driveway. Inuyasha's hand was clasped in another man's larger, more calloused hands. His tear stricken amber eyes locked onto the man's brown orbs. The man looked down at the young boy. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Those words didn't seem to comfort the boy and he turned away. As he was brought away from the house, he turned to look at the main entrance of his old home. Two covered bodies were brought out on stretchers.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. He had to get out of bed.

Grabbing a pair of cargos and a black beater, he was ready to head out. The outfit was a bit too underdressed from his usual style but it was the only decent thing to wear while working out. It was still early, but he needed a distraction right now and the Wolf's Den was the only place to he could go. The others wouldn't show up until around ten, which gave him plenty of time to work out his pent up anger alone.

Reminding himself to never eat junk food late at night again, Inuyasha headed out the door.

As he drove down the already familiar street, he noticed that the Black Bean was already open for service. He contemplated stopping by to just grab a coffee, but he was worried that maybe Kouga or the other two might be nearby. Inuyasha didn't want to risk being caught at the coffee shop too often.

The gang of killers didn't trust him with a key to their "hide-out" so Inuyasha was forced to pick the lock. A pretty simple task for a guy whose been as well trained as he was. When the others showed up, they might have to consider securing the place better.

The place was dark of course. The sky outside was still getting its first rays of morning and it barely lit the inside of their workspace with the blinds half drawn. Inuyasha headed straight towards the weapons closet behind Kagome's desk and wrenched it open, forcibly destroying the lock. He saw that the closet was full of practice weapons and decided to go straight for the bo.

Inuyasha didn't bother to turn on the lights. Training in the dark was what he needed to get used to doing if he was going to start killing people with the rest of the goons. He cringed. Even the thought of killing another person churned his insides. He has only killed two people his entire life. For each one, he still felt the guilt.

He walked towards the centre of the fighting area and held the bo tight in his hands. The wound in his hand healed nicely, but left a long scar across his palm. He started to thrust the bo around himself, spinning it across his body as he got used to its weight to balance. As he spun the bo, he pivoted on his foot to thrust one end of the bo at his imaginary enemy. Inuyasha kept up with his movements and he started to break a sweat when he combined his aerial kicks into his attack.

Inuyasha remembered when he took the life of the two men. The first was his "red" test. To complete his training in becoming an undercover agent in the JPA, he had to kill a man. The JPA sent him to a location with a description of the criminal that was supposedly selling government secrets to the black market. This man had nothing to do with a case that Inuyasha had to deal with. It was a simple point and shoot. He didn't even know his name.

It was the worst day of his life.

He remembered the life fading from the man's eyes as the bullet sank between them. The guilt of not even knowing what the man did to deserve death unnerved Inuyasha to the core. He would always remember those silent eyes.

The second was an accident. Inuyasha was deep undercover in a drug gang. One of the members found a wire that Inuyasha used to record their conversations. They fought and Inuyasha pulled the trigger, instantly killing the man. It was a little easier killing another man for the second time, but he still didn't deserve death. He had other options. He could have just thrown the guy in jail and tell the others that he left town.

Most of the criminals he met were brought up in a bad town and did what they needed to do to survive. Bad choices led to their demise and most of the criminals are capable of change. The justice system he believed in helped these men change. Inuyasha was a believer of forgiveness.

Except for one man.

There was one man that deserved death more than anyone else in the world. Inuyasha's thrusts with the bo became more violent when he thought about the bastard. To know that a psycho was still running around the streets of Japan built up a darkness inside of Inuyasha that could only be released once the fucker was killed.

Inuyasha tossed his shirt to the floor when it became too soaked in his sweat. The stupid air conditioner was broken and it didn't help that they all exercised in this old building.

* * *

Kagome got to Tokyo early and decided to head to the Wolf's Den to properly clean the wound in her back. She started to pull the keys to open the front door but found that it was already unlocked. The others shouldn't be here this early and Kagome instantly found herself reaching for the gun behind her back. She neared herself to the door to listen intently to a man grunting. Quickly she entered the room, gun pointed forward at the perpetrator and shot.

* * *

Inuyasha continued to keep up his movements with the bo. He spun around when he heard a click and just as quickly, the bo in his hands snapped in two. The splinters fell across the cement floor with the better half of his bo destroyed. He would have attacked ferociously at his opponent but then he looked up to see that it was only Kagome.

Kagome realized her mistake when her eyes laid on the man's silver tresses and quickly diverted her shot, immediately destroying his training weapon. The man's perfectly carved muscles were glistening in sweat. The low lighting in the room was not giving his physique justice to her eyes.

For a moment they just stared into each other's eyes. Kagome distracted by his body and Inuyasha distracted by the woman that plagued his mind for the last three days.

Kagome diverted her eyes and headed towards the first aid cabinet while putting away her gun. "I see you have no regard to our security of this place. I might have to give you a key sooner than planned just so you would stop breaking our locks."

Inuyasha tossed the broken bo aside in favor of retrieving a newer one. "I had no fucking choice. I wanted to practice."

"If you had waited a couple more hours, you would have had your practice," Kagome said as she took off her leather jacket and pulled out the first aid kit.

Inuyasha pulled out a new bo from the cabinet and turned to see Kagome taking off her shirt revealing a black laced bra. He was stunned at her sudden action of changing in front of him, but one look at her back told him what she was up to. White gauze stained with red clung to her mid back.

A brief wave of concern charged through his body and he quickly shook off the feeling. "How did that happen? I thought you were an indestructible wench," he said as he started to walk in her direction, wanting to get a better look at the wound.

Kagome pulled out a bottle of antiseptic, cotton wipes, thread, needle, and more gauze. Satisfied she had all she needed, she began the painful task of removing the old gauze. She grasped one end and began to peel the fabric that had begun to cling to her blood and skin. She winced slightly when it was finally off.

Inuyasha took a look at the cut and realized how deep it was. It was a rather messy slice and her skin shattered at the opening. How she managed to walk around calmly without a hint of discomfort bothered him.

"If you're done staring, I could use some help," Kagome said as she turned her head to while pulling out the thread and needle. "Can you stitch?"

Inuyasha put the bo back into the cabinet. "I'm alright I guess."

Kagome rolled her eyes and sat herself on the countertop. "Whatever. That's good enough seeing as I can't do it myself."

Inuyasha didn't bother picking up the swabs and instead took the bottle of antiseptic and drained the whole thing onto her wound. He could see the acid bubble a sticky yellow colour as it began killing the bacteria. Inuyasha smirked as he could almost hear the sizzle of the destruction.

"Fuck!" Kagome hissed. "You didn't have to use the whole fucking thing!"

Inuyasha then took the wipes and cleaned the excess blood and yellow puss. "It's a minor payback for injuring me the other day."

Kagome gripped her jacket for support as the alcohol did its bidding. She gritted through her teeth. "Fine, we're even." She pointedly took out her hand to shake Inuyasha's in agreement.

Inuyasha eagerly took her hand and noticed how tightly she squeezed back. "Agreed."

Taking the thread and needle he began the tedious task of closing the wound. Her body shook slightly each time the pointed end punched through her tough skin. Inuyasha was gentle. He pulled the thread slowly so its roughness would not burn her skin. His calloused hands touched her smooth back, and it was then that he started to notice the many, many scars. Inuyasha wondered how she managed to come by so many injuries while being the best fighter out there, but he knew not to ask. She still didn't trust him with her secrets.

"The wound looks deep. I'm surprised it didn't hit your spinal cord," he contemplated.

"I always come out lucky I suppose."

"So what happened? Was your target so tough that you managed to injure yourself this badly?" Inuyasha asked.

A glimpse of the fat bastard crossed Kagome's mind. "He was a no good slob, terribly uncoordinated, and an easy target. I didn't expect him to have so much stamina though."

Inuyasha laughed. "And you still managed to get yourself hurt? I'm sorry, but if you can't manage to kill a 'no good slob' as you put it, I don't think you deserve to lead this band of assassins."

"Fuck off!" Kagome yelled, her voice becoming dark. "I was…distracted."

Inuyasha ignored her tone and continued pulling on the thread, a little tighter this time. He knew that she was hiding something again. He would have left the remark, but curiosity got the better of him. "Distracted how exactly?"

"_Kasumi…"_

"_What did you just say?"_

"_You can't be her…s-she died long ago."_

Kagome passed Inuyasha the gauze. She answered, "Something that has come to haunt me with many questions."

Inuyasha made a face before cutting the thread and taping the gauze. He stood back to examine his work. "It's not a surgeons hands, but it will do. You're done."

Kagome jumped off the counter and threw on her shirt, tugging it securely down. Turning around, she got a close look at Inuyasha's darkened muscles. Her eyes roamed down from his large arms to his scarred hand. She sighed and sucked up her pride. "I'm sorry about injuring your hand."

Inuyasha backed up in shock. "Is the infamous Kagome Higurashi apologizing to me?" he said in an almost mocking tone.

Kagome showed a small smile. "If I had completely destroyed that hand, you wouldn't have been able to help stitch me up. So…thanks."

Inuyasha faked an extremely shocked expression mild with faintness, pulling his hand to his chest. "Wow. Both an apology _and_ a word of thanks all in the same day! I think I might faint."

Kagome punched him in the arm as she walked by him. "Oh shut the fuck up and don't be so full of yourself. This day would not happen again."

Inuyasha turned to yell at her back as she retreated with her luggage to the weaponry room. "Oh, this day will definitely come again if you keep getting injured over easy targets."

Inuyasha gave a satisfying smile when he heard the door slam shut. He started cleaning the counter from the garbage. When he picked up the bloodied gauze, his stomach began to feel queasy knowing that it was her blood. It was so much blood.

* * *

Checking to make sure that the door was securely closed, Kagome dialed the familiar number while she unpacked her luggage of its weapons.

"_Hi Kagome."_

Kagome slammed the sniper into its place on the shelf, emphasizing her anger when she heard his snide voice. "The job is done. You should be happy to know I'm alive and well."

She heard him sigh on the other end of the line.

"_This could have been done over text."_

"Fuck you Naraku! How the hell does that fat bastard know Kasumi?!"

There was a pause.

"_Are you sure you want to dive in there Kagome? This will not end in happiness."_

"My life ended its chance at happiness nine years ago, and you fucking knew that already you bastard. Now tell me what you know."

"_You must understand…it was her choice. She came to me, and I did not force her into it."_

Tears threatened to fill Kagome's eyes. She was beginning to understand now. "You're fucking kidding me…is that why…why you took me in when she died?!"

"_Yes."_

Kagome collapsed to the ground. She was so weakened by this new revelation that she could no longer support herself. She held tightly onto her phone forcing herself not to break it as she tried to keep her composure before she asked her next question.

"W-was Sasuke part of this?"

Another pause.

"_Yes Kagome. Both of your parents used to work for me."_

His answer was enough for Kagome to break down and cry.

That was when Inuyasha decided to walk in.

* * *

Naraku shut off his phone when he heard the crying.

_Fuck._

He didn't think that when he sent Kagome on that kill that she would find out anything. Naraku paced around his dark office. He couldn't afford his best killer to be in an emotional wreck. If she decided to find out more, he had to cover his tracks properly or else all hell would erupt.

Naraku couldn't let Kagome find out more secrets of her past. Hopefully the information he told her would suffice for now.

Naraku looked onto his desk. All the files and documents piled up nicely with satisfying results. He threw his hands into his head and in a rage he trashed his desk. Papers and pens scattered across his office.

Ten fucking years and millions of dollars were spent to have one success. He could _not_ afford all of it to go down the drain. He could not lose Kagome.

She was an expensive fuck.

Naraku took a look at his destroyed office. Maybe it was time to visit Kagome.

* * *

A/N - Please don't hate me! I know it's a bit short and I'm probably confusing you all even more. But I'm a mystery buff and like to keep my readers in suspense.


	9. Authors note

**A/N - Okay...I lied. I'm sorry I won't be continuing writing on fanfiction. I've had a lot of thought about what to do with my stories, and I think I'll just leave it online. If you wish to continue from where I left off, just email of message me and I'll send you the plot outline. I'm so sorry once again for ditching.**

**I'll still be reading and editing on fanfic, but maybe not as frequent.**

**The reason I'm not writing on fanfiction anymore is because I'm heading towards writing professionally for publishing. Fanfiction will always be a place where it got me started and I really want to thank everyone who supported me.**

**Thanks again, and it's been a great journey.**


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